Safety razor



N; TESTI SAFETY RAZOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 11, 1955 YINVENTOR M'cIwZa/J, M BY ATTORNEY NL TEST] SAFETY RAZOR Aug.- 24, 1937.

Filed April 11, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1NVENTOR MbboZa/a jwi BY A RNEY' Patented Aug. 24, 1937 UNITED STATES:

SAFETY RAZOR Nicholas Testi, Boston,

Mass;, assignor to Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application April 11, 1935,=Serial No. 15,831

9 Claims.

This invention relates to safety razors of the class in which a thin detachable blade is positioned for shaving by blade stops which engage the cutting edge of the blade or other gauging edge provided in the blade for that purpose. In

a razor of this type it is important that the blade should be reliably brought up to the gauging point preparatory to use and that this gauging movement of the blade should be effected accurately and with sufficient force to insure the proper location of the blade, and yet without subjecting its cutting edge to unnecessary pressure which might tend to damage it or to out the blade-locating stops. An object of the present invention is to provide a razor in which these desirable qualifications are fully realized and in which the operator is relieved of the necessity of himself moving the blade to gauging position. On the contrary, the construction contemplated in my novel razor is such that when once presented the blade tends automatically and by the action of gravity to move to its proper gauged position.

As herein shown one satisfactory construction for effecting the desired result comprises a pair of lugs so inclined with respect to the bladesupporting plate that when the blade is positioned roughly or preliminarily on the lugs they react with the blade to cause the same to settle by gravity evenly and in a balanced manner against suitable blade stops. As herein shown, and in accordance Withthe present invention the blade-supporting plate is normally downwardly inclined and provided with blade stops near its forward and lower edge, while the blade-positioning lugs are arranged to extend in asubstantially vertical direction. Accordingly, when a recessed blade is placed upon the inclined supporting plate so as to receive the lugs it is urged gently but reliably downwardly until it makes 40 firm bearing against the blade stops.

45 with the blade stops. My invention contemplates as another important feature a safety device which will in this circumstance prevent the user "from closing the razor and endeavoring to shave with the blade in a dangerous position In a 50 razor having a pivotally mounted cover the de-' sired results may be attained by providing the cover with projecting studs arranged to engage an improperly placed blade and arrest closing movement of the cover.

55 users attention is aroused and he is brought to When this occurs the the realization that further attention to the organization of his razor is required. On the other hand, if the blade is properly presented its rear edge'is held above the surface of the supporting plate and the studs are free to swing in a path out of contact with the blade so that the cover may be freely closed into the proper bladeclamping position.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of the razor in end elevation, the razor being shown closed or in shaving condition;

. Fig. 21s a similar view in cross-section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the razor in opened condition;

Fig. 4 is a view of the razor in front elevation and corresponding to Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view in front elevation corresponding to Fig, 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional View of the razor on an enlarged scale;

Fig. '7 is a View corresponding to Fig. 2 showing-a. modified form of razor;

Fig. -8 is a sectionalview of the razor corresponding to Fig. 3 but showing a double-edged blade improperly located therein;

7 Fig. 9 is a corresponding view showing the cover arrested in its closing movement;

Fig. 10 is a view in front elevation corresponding to Fig} 8, and

Fig. 11 is a plan view of one form of recessed blade suitable for use'in connection with the razor of my invention.

The razor comprises a handle I0 knurled to give the user a good grip and having its upper end ll threaded for connection with a rectangular bed plate or blade-supporting plate H. The plate II is formed integral with an internally threaded downwardly-extending boss I6 which is designed to receive the threaded end I! of the handle and make a firmconnection therewith. The plate II is rectangular in outline and so disposed that it is inclined downwardly and forwardly when the handle I0 is held in a vertical position; At its lower edge the plate II is provided with downwardly inclined guard teeth l2 of usual construction and two outermost teeth are provided with upwardly projecting ablade-locating stops l3 which are slightly undercut or hook-shaped and so located as to engage the outer corners of the blade as shown in Fig. 5.

Near its rear edge the plate H is provided at both ends with outwardly extending hinge pins l4 and upon these is pivotally mounted a cover member 22 which will be referred to hereinafter. Ihe plate I is also provided with a pair of spaced blade-positioning lugs. 15 which may be struck out of the material of the plate and bent upwardly into substantially vertical position or parallel in direction to the handle l0. In such position the lugs i5 are inclined with respect to they surface of the plate I l, their free ends being located farther away from the blade stops |3 than their lower ends which are connected withthe plate.

In Fig. 5 is shown one form of. blade 2|] adapted for use with the razor of my, invention. It is of thin sheet steel, sharpened at its edge for shaving and provided with a pair of rectangular recesses 2| which are located symmetrically in the blade and in position to receive the lugs l5 when the blade is placed upon the plate II with its cutting edge adjacent to the blade stops I3. It will be noted that when the blade 20 is so presented it is threaded over the lugs I5 and that the front edge of each recess 2| rests against the front face of one of the lugs IS. The result is that the blade is held in a downwardly and forwardly inclined position and is therefore advanced by gravity as it settles upon the lugs I5 until its edge is brought into even engagement with the blade stops l3 and further movement thus arrested. In other words, the effect of the lugs i5 is to urge the blade gently forwardly in a balanced manner and to secure automatically even engagement of. the blade edge with the blade stops and therefore, very accurate location of the blade in shaving position.

The shape of the blade and the location of the recesses 2| are such that the blade is not permitted to seat itself upon the plate II but is held above the surface of the plate at an acute angle, as shown on a large scale in Fig. 6. The dot and dash lines in this figure indicate positions which would be assumed by blades of greater or less width than the blade shown in full lines; that'is, if the blade is narrower between its cutting edge and the'forward edge of its recesses 2| than is the blade represented in full lines, it will more nearly approach the surface of the plate while if it is wider in this respect it will be held farther away from the plate I I than the blade 20 represented in full lines. This relationship of razor and blade permits-the exacting requirements of blade manufacture to be reasonably relaxed, since blades varying slightly from each other in width may be all reliably and accurately located with their sharpened edges in the proper position for shaving.

The cover 22 pivotally mounted upon the pins M, as explained, is arched so that it may enclose the projecting lugs IS without touching them and engage and clamp the blade along a line adjacent to its cutting edge. To this end the forward edge of the cap 22 is bevelled to provide a flat blade-engaging surface 24. A transverse shaft 23 extends between the side walls of the cap in a position to the rear of'the pivot pins M. This shaft is engaged upon its rear and lower sides by a curved U-shaped spring 25 which is secured to the plate I at its forward end and shaped so as to straddle the handle I and press upwardly upon the shaft 23 when the razor is in closed position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The cap 22 is extended rearwardly beyond the shaft 23 and curved to provide a finger grip by which it may be forcibly swung in. a clockwise direction against the pressure of' the spring when it is desired to open the razor. In this movement of the cap the shaft 23 is carried into the curve of the spring 25 and beyond the dead center position so that the cap is yieldingly held in its open position as shown in Fig. 3. On the other hand, when in the closing? movement of the cap, the shaft 23 is carried past its dead center position the spring will snap the cap shut and hold it in clamping engagement with the blade.

In Fig. '7 is shown a slightly modified form of razor in which a single spring member 26 is utilized to supply both the spring for the cap 22 and blade locating lugs. In this construction the plate is perforated to receive tongues bent upwardly from the spring member to constitute lugs 21 and the portions of the spring between these tongues is secured to the under face of the plate H.

In Fig. there is shown a single-edged blade having internal recesses 2|. In Figs. 8 to 11 is shown a double-edged blade 30 having external recesses 3| and this blade is also adapted for use in the razor of my invention. In using such a blade the lugs 32 are so located as to enter the recesses 3| and advance the blade into engagement with the blade stops i3, and in this case it will be noted that the inner sharpened edge of the blade is suspended within the razor in a position entirely out of. contact with the parts thereof and where it will be held safely against damage.

In order to prevent the user from inadvertently closing the cover of the razor when" the blade is not properly positioned it is proposed to provide the cover of the razor with safety stops in the form of a pair of studs 28 which are arranged to project inwardly from the end walls of the cover 22. These studs are located at such a distance from the axis of the hinge pins |4 that they will swing with the cover in an are below the blade when the latter is properly supported with its rear end in elevated position, as it is when the cutting edge of the blade is properly engaged with the blade stops |3. When the blade is thus properly located the studs 28 have no function and they remain practically unnoticed by the user, although they may contact temporarilb with the under face of the blade as suggested in Figs. 3 and 8. However, should the blade be presented carelessly to the razor so that its cutting edge lies above the blade stops l3 as suggested in Fig. 8, then the rear or inner edge of the blade will be positioned below the studs 28. Consequently, when the cover 22 is swung about its pivotal axis for closing, the studs 28 engage the upper surface of the blade and arrest the closing movement of the cover. The users attention is thus drawn to the fact that his blade is improperly positioned and he is led to open the cover and properly position the blade before proceeding to use the razor.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. A safety razor having a blade-supporting member with spaced blade-locating stops arranged adjacent toone edge, and stationary loeating lugs projecting above said member and inclined with respect thereto in such a direction as to, engage a blade placed thereon, holding it in inclined relation to the surface of said memher and thereby causing it to be advanced by gravity toward said stops and into shaving position.

2. A safety razor having a handle, a blade-supporting plate carried thereby and normally inclined downwardly toward its lower edge, blade stops located near the lower edge of the plate and vertically disposed stationary blade-engaging lugs so located as to hold a blade presented to said plate in inclined relation to the plate, thereby causing the blade to be advanced by gravity until arrested in shaving position by said stops.

3. A safety razor comprising blade holding members connected for movement from blade-receiving to blade-clamping position, blade stops for determining the shaving position of the blade in the razor, and stationary means for supporting in downwardly inclined position a blade presented to the razor so that gravity will cause it to advance until arrested in shaving position by said stops independently of any blade-clamping action in the razor.

4. A safety razor comprising a blade-supporting plate having a blade stop near one edge, a cover pivotally mounted near the other edge of said plate and arched to engage a blade adjacent to said stop, and a fixed lug extending upwardly from the plate, beneath the arch of the cover and having a face so disposed as to bring its lower end substantially nearer to the stop than its upper end and to support a blade in shaving position while it occupies an angular relation with respect to said plate.

5. A safety razor including in its structure, a blade-supporting plate having blade stops at its outer forward corners and a pair of fixed lugs projecting from the plate within and behind said stops, having blade-engaging faces and extending in such direction as to bring their free ends substantially further away from the stops than their lower ends and to support a blade in shaving position while it occupies an angular relation with respect to said plate.

6. A safety razor including in its structure, a

normally inclined blade-supporting plate having blade stops located adjacent to its outer and lower corners, a pair of fixed lugs projecting from said plate at intermediate points symmetrically located with respect to the stops and being inclined with respect to the face of the plate, downwardly toward its lower edge, to engage and automatically advance toward the stops a recessed blade positioned upon the plate and to hold its rear edge away from the plate, and an arched cover pivotally mounted at the rear edge of the plate and shaped to enclose said lugs and engage the blade along a line adjacent to the stops.

7. A safety razor including in its structure a blade-supporting plate having blade stops at one edge, and fixed lugs projecting from the plate at an angle to its face and in such location as to hold a recessed blade in upwardly inclined relation to the face of the plate with one edge in engagement with said stops and the other held spaced from said plate.

8. A safety razor including in its structure a blade-supporting plate having blade stops near one edge, fixed lugs projecting from the plate at an acute angle to its face and in such location as to hold a recessed blade in upwardly inclined and spaced relation to said plate with its edge in engagement wth said stops, a blade-clamping cover pivotally mounted in the razor to engage and clamp a blade in a line adjacent to the stops, and means to prevent the closing of said cover when the blade is improperly positioned with respect to said stops.

9. A safety razor including in its structure a blade supporting plate having blade stops and lugs arranged normally to support a blade in an inclined position upon said plate with its rear edge elevated therefrom, a cover pivotally mounted in the razor to swing into blade-engaging position, and ears on the cover so located as to move beneath the elevated portion of the blade when the latter is properly located and to engage the blade and prevent closing of the cap when the blade lies flat on said plate.

- NICHOLAS TESTI. 

